Fears
by Vieux
Summary: Agoraphobia: extreme irrational fear of crowded or public spaces / AU where Sena takes the wrong entrance exam, enrolls in Ojo Boarding School, and is agoraphobic. Shin and Sakuraba both have different forms of the same inferiority complex, while Takami is actually dystychiphobic- afraid of accidents. Follow them as Ojo High helps them discover themselves and overcome their fears.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello and welcome to my second Eyeshield 21 fanfiction! I am going to say upright and up front that this will be a Shin Seijuro x Kobayakawa Sena fanfiction, because Shin/Sena is my OTP :D Please let me know what you guys think of this, and whether I should continue it. It's mainly just a side-muse while I struggle to finish This Small Town :P**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

Agoraphobia.

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: extreme or irrational fear of crowded spaces or enclosed public spaces.

Sena stared at his ceiling awkwardly, drowning in his own thoughts. He hated mornings. They were always when the deep thoughts moved in, making him question his choices, his words, his identity..

But even so, mornings were always better then nights. Nights were when his fears, his insecurities, and his demons crawled in, taking over his mind and possessing his eyes. They turned him wild.

Being agoraphobic just wasn't easy. Parties and social events were out. Movies were out. Subways were the worst, but he suffered through them to get to school. The last year of middle school, when one of his only two friends, Mamori, was already gone. Thank god she still took the subway with him when he needed to get to places. Having such a loss of control freaked him out so badly, he passed out the first three times.

Being agoraphobic really just wasn't easy.

Especially when doctors told him that it was about twice as common in women as it was in men.

He wasn't sure when it started, just that one day it was suddenly there- the fear of losing control, the fear of being stared at, the fear of social embarrassment-

Although, after more than 5 years, one eventually learned to somewhat deal with it.

Sena sighed. And then, a loud voice jerked him out of his thoughts (and, not to mention, his bed), calling him back to reality.

"Sena, are you ready? Grab your stuff so we can go!" Mamori called from the base of the stairs, waiting a bit impatiently for him. "The entrance exam results for Deimon are up, and we don't want to deal with a crowd!"

"A-alright, s-sorry!" Sena exclaimed, stumbling down the wooden staircase and tripping over himself in his rush to put on shoes. "I'm coming."

"I'm sure you got into Deimon just fine. Those hours of studying must have paid off somehow." Mamori patted Sena on the back, also reaching over to straighten his tie.

Sena was silent, offering her little more then a weak smile. He still wasn't sure how to explain to her that he probably failed the entrance exam. He'd shown up to the testing facilities and taken the test. Somehow, it was ridiculously hard- his hours of sweat, blood, and tears clearly did not pay of. "U-um, M-M-Mamori nee-san…"

"Oh look, we're here!"

Sena blinked, petrified for a moment. _Right, number. Uh… Testing number…._ He couldn't even remember his code.

"Sena, I don't see your number anywhere here!" Oh well, apparently Mamori had remembered it for him.

"U-um.."

"No, there has to be a mistake. I'll keep looking, why don't you head home?"

"E-eh? H-home? But-"

Mamori smiled and patted him heartily on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm just going to check with the acceptance committee. You just got a cellphone, right? I'll call you!"

Hesitating, Sena nodded drearily before slowly heading home, hanging his head low as he walked. As he neared the entrance gate, Sena heard a loud cackling voice, and instinctively ducked.

 _How terrifying…_

Thank goodness the owner of the voice seemed to want nothing to do with him, and Sena walked past him safely, letting out a breath.

Once he got back home, Sena got back into his bed. He didn't feel like doing much today- if he went outside, the neighbors' sons might bully him into buying food for them again.

A knock sounded at his door. _Huh? Is Mamori nee-san back already? She didn't call me…_

Opening the wooden door, Sena peeked his head out shyly. After he had managed to get comfortable enough in his own room to close the door, he always closed it. Leaving it open made him feel vulnerable in a twisted, morbid way that he couldn't really describe. But if he was in a foreign environment, Sena absolutely could not have the door closed. It bothered him on so many different levels, and he wasn't even sure why. He focused his mind and eyes on the person in front of him.

Oh.

"Sena, I'm so proud of you!"

"M-mom?"

"Why didn't you tell us that you applied to other schools? Well, at any rate, you truly are amazing, I never thought you would be able to get into such a prestigious school!" His mother reached out and slapped her son's shoulder, laughing quite loudly in a high pitched voice.

 _Other schools... Deimon?_ "I-I got into Deimon?" Sparks of hope burst in his chest. Maybe he really would be going to the same school as Mamori!

"Deimon?" His mother looked confused. She laughed again. "Of course not!"

His heart sank.

"I'm talking about Ojo, you silly boy!"

"O-OJO?" His eyes went wide. "B-b-but I-"

"Haha, I know you're shocked. Your father and I were too, believe me. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine there! Maybe you'll even make some friends!"

Sena sweatdropped at his mother's not-to-kind words. Sometimes, however, he could appreciate them. His parents seemed to have a general policy about trying to treat him as normally as possible. At first they were both apprehensive and uneasy, constantly asking him if he was alright, if he needed anything, or if he felt panicked. And honestly, while the attention was sweet for the first week or so, he got sick of it quickly. So, needless to say, Sena was quite glad when his parents slowly began adjusting. It was difficult. Just like all the other parts of being agoraphobic. But then he remembered. "Uh… um… I never took the entrance exam for Ojo!" He exclaimed.

His mother stopped laughing. "Eh? Really? But it says right here you did! It even has your testing code and name. See?" She pulled out a thick deck of white papers, stacked neatly on top of each other. "Look." Reaching out, his mother pointed towards the bold letters printed in the 'name' box: Kobayakawa Sena.

"Ehh?" Was all Sena could say, trying to get past being mind-blown.

His mother smiled gently. "Why don't you get prepared? There's an orientation slip, of course. It has a list of things you need to bring, and also the schedule for that day. Why don't you get prepared? I do believe it's tomorrow, after all."

Sena could only nod mutely, still wondering how one could possibly get into a school randomly without ever taking the test for it.

A few hours later, his cellphone rang. "Moshi moshi!"

"Sena? I'm so sorry, the enrollment committee says that they can't find your number on the list anywhere! In fact, they don't have any records of you ever taking the test!"

"E-e-eh?"

"I know, ridiculous right? Don't worry, I can handle this-"

"M-Mamori-nee san, I-I think-"

The door to his room opened mid-sentence. It was his mom again. "Is that Mamori on the phone? Why don't you tell her to come over? I'm sure she can give you some advice on how to survive high school!"

"My mother wants you to c-come over so w-we can u-um, talk. I-is that ok?"

"Huh? Today?"

"Mhm."

"Right now? Alright. I'm on my way."

And with that, she hung up, leaving a monotonous beeping noise in Sena's ear.

"She's coming."

His mother nodded, before exiting the room.

* * *

 _Ding-Dong!_

"Ah, Mamori-chan, how lovely to have you over again today! I'm sure Sena's already told you about the good news, right? Of course he has, what am I even saying? You two are best friends! Anyways, I just thought that Sena could use some advice on high school, since he's going to such a prestigious one after all!"

"G-good news?" Mamori looked absolutely clueless as to the situation. "Prestigious high school?"

"Of course! My, don't tell me, you haven't heard yet? Sena here just received his acceptance letter to Ojo high!"

"OJO?" Mamori shrieked, jumping a few inches off the floor in surprise. "Sena got into Ojo?"

"Of course! Surprising, right? I know!" Sena could only cry alligator tears as his mother continued to gush over his "achievement".

"A-Ah. Of course I can help him a bit!"

"U-um, why don't Mamori nee-san and I talk upstairs?" Sena suggested, hoping to explain the situation properly.

"Alright, you two can head up right now then! I'll get dinner ready." She turned to Mamori. "You'll be staying, of course!"

Mamori nodded, and took Sena's hand, dragging him upstairs.

The door to Sena's room closed with a click.

"Sena, do you want to explain what's going on?" Mamori demanded, looking worried.

"I don't know! All I know is that one moment I'm back from Deimon, and the next my mom is stuffing an acceptance letter into my hand!"

"But you didn't take the test for Ojo! …D-did you?"

"N-no! At least, I d-don't think I did?" His answer didn't come out very confidently.

Mamori still looked skeptical. "Are you sure? You did take the Deimon test, right?"

"Of course!" Sena protested indignantly. "I wouldn't lie to you about that! I went to the testing arena bright and early at 5 am, took the 5 hour test, struggled through-"

"Wait wait wait. 5?"

"Huh?" Sena stopped. "U-um, yes?"

"AM?"

"Mhm."

"…Sena, _the Deimon test was at 5 PM_ " Mamori screamed.

"W-what?"

"How did you mess up those times? Didn't you see other people we knew there?"

"N-no? B-but what test _did_ I take then?" Sena exclaimed, looking worried.

They both looked up, knowing the answer. "The Ojo test."

"No wonder it was so hard!"

"Sena, are you sure you want to go through with this? Everyone knows Ojo's reputation! And it's a boarding school! W-what if you get bullied, or teased? Or if you don't have any friends?" Mamori was now leaning heavily into him, looking worried.

 _I don't want to go_ , Sena thought desperately. _But I can't just not go to high school, and I didn't take the test for any other schools…_ "I-I can do this. I-I'm not a kid anymore, and Riku was right. I have to grow up sometime."

She still looked upset.

"H-hey, don't worry. I'll be fine."

"But really, are you ready for high school? Boarding school, especially? Don't you remember what happened in third grade? And fourth grade? And fifth grade? Or maybe you can remember sixth grade? Or the seventh grade field trip?" Her voice was growing increasingly desperate. "What if you have another… fit?"

Sena shivered just thinking about it. "I-I- I don't know!" He burst out.

Being agoraphobic wasn't easy. It just wasn't. But he had to get over it if he ever wanted to go anywhere in life. A line of words echoed in his head.

 _Sena. Promise me. Promise me you'll get over your fears and grow stronger. Please._

"…I'll be fine. I'll have to leave home at some point, I can't stay here forever. At least I'll get time to adjust before university."

"Alright… Now, let's look at your orientation checklist, and the stuff you need to bring in your suitcase!" Mamori suggested, looking somewhat less concerned, albeit still a bit uneasy.

"Ok!"

* * *

The next morning, Sena woke up for the first time on his own, without an alarm (which was usually set the night before by Mamori anyways). "H-huh?" He blinked drowsily, trying to expel the sleepiness from his heavy eyes.

Craning his head, he sat up and checked the time on the baby blue clock next to him. "HAH? 8:00 AM? HIEEE!" Jumping up, he grabbed his messenger bag, praising the lord that he had packed it last night. "I'M LATE!"

Sprinting down the stairs, he stuffed a random chunk of toast into his mouth as he dashed past.

"Sena?" His mother called, sounding concerned.

"Bye mom! I'm late!" He called in explanation. As soon as he was out the door, Sena spat the toast out, grimacing at its dry taste. _Why can't she make Japanese breakfasts? It's just boarding school orientation…I'm not even leaving until next week!_

Checking his watch, he realized that there were only 10 more minutes until the orientation began. Sprinting as hard as he could, he saw the bus stop, with a bus perfectly parked there.

 _I can make it!_

Except… suddenly, it started moving. "Wait! I need to get on the bus! Hold it!" Sena yelled, accelerating even faster. Unfortunately, his shouts fell on deaf ears because the white and blue bus drove away just before he could reach the station. Sena glanced at the schedule to his right, panting heavily: No time to wait for the next one…

Taking a deep breath, he bent over and charged, dashing after the bus at his fastest pace.

Skidding, he collapsed onto the soft grass of the field. _Made it just in time!_ In fact, he was somewhat glad that he _didn't_ take the bus, because it had gotten into a traffic accident halfway along the way. Of course, that also meant that Sena had no one to follow, and subsequently got lost, but at least he had made it here in the end.

"Hey there, are you a new student here for the orientation?"

"Huh?" Looking up, Sena saw a tall boy with dark hair and glasses bending over him. "Hiee!"

"Woah there! Um.. are you lost?"

"U-uh-huh-huh," Sena panted, still trying to catch his breath. "Y-yeah."

"I'm on the welcome committee, I can bring you to the auditorium if you want?"

"Y-yeh-yesh-yean- um- yes," Sena finally managed to stammer out. He was apprehensive in case this boy was just like the others and wanted to bully him. "U-uh, yeah. T-that would be nice."

The boy smiled. "You don't have to be so nervous. Is this your first time away from home?"

Sena mutely nodded.

"Well, you'll get used to it in no time. Come on, let's go. This way."

And with that, the boy walked off, gesturing behind him for Sena to follow.

 _To follow… or to run… To go, or to leave…_ Sena weighed his choices in his mind.

Well, he'd just have to keep a safe distance. As long as he was far enough, he'd still have time to run in case the guy turned on him.

With that thought in mind, Sena slowly began to follow the older student.

"I'm Takami. And you are…?"

"H-huh?"

The other boy laughed. "Your name?" he prompted again.

"K-Kobayakawa S-s-s-s-"

"S…?"

"S-se-sen.."

"Sen?" The boy raised his eyebrow.

Sena instinctively shivered.

"Kobayakawa Sen? I bit odd, but welcome to Ojo, Kobayakawa-kun!"

Sena didn't bother correcting him- he didn't need everyone knowing his name so they could use him as a gopher anyways.

And then, they reached the dark wooden doors to the auditorium.

"Here it is. All the other new students are in there too!" Takami opened the door for him.

"Eh? That's it?" There were two other students sitting on a stone bench, each minding their own business in a very antisocial manner.

"Well, Ojo has a middle school division too, so all those students already had their orientation," Takami explained.

"O-oh. So, I guess, um, most students already know each other then?"

Takami scratched his head and laughed shakily. "Well yes, but you'll fit in and make friends in no time, I'm sure!"

Sena wasn't sure if it was just him, or if Takami's smile was a bit apologetic.

"Anyways, I have a club meeting to get to, but why don't you hang out here for awhile? Someone will be in here shortly."

"Ok." Sena slowly stepped into the dark, dim room and took a seat, flinching at how cold the stone was beneath him. It was small, confined, and shadowy. Sena didn't like it. But being agoraphobic, he was only glad that there weren't many other people in the room- if it was going to be cold, at least it was empty.

The doors shut loudly, leaving an awkwardly silent echo in tall room, with the domed ceilings making it worse.

Sena started as his mother's words echoed in his mind: _Sena, try to make some new friends!_

Hesitantly, he turned to the person next to him, only to reel back when seeing what they were doing: the smaller boy was playing a very gore-orientated, bloody game that apparently involved ripping off the arms of other players.

 _Maybe talking to him isn't the best idea at this time… he seems to be pretty into his game right now…_

An hour. That was how long Sena sat on the freezing cold, ice hard stone bench staring at nothing but the grim shadows cast on the wall.

"Maybe no one's coming?" He accidentally wondered out loud. Then, he ducked shyly again as the other two students stared at him in irritation (apparently they heard the echoes over the noise of their headphones). "Sorry!" he squeaked, and winced at the loud echoing. Their faces barred in annoyance. SORRY! He mouthed silently. They raised their eyebrows, unamused.

 _Time to make a strategic retreat…_ Sena thought as he shakily stood up and inched towards the door. The other boys glared. _Ok, definitely time to leave._

Sena let out a breath as he leaned against the firm door, reveling in the bright warmth of the sun's rays. _Finally out of the dark_.

"Oi, out of the way, out of the way!" A female voice screamed loudly. Looking up to his right, Sena almost fainted when he saw the hoard of muscular, tall guys running towards him at break neck speed. Almost instinctively, he shifted left to avoid the first guy- except, he now found himself in the middle of the pack.

Quickly, Sena counted 11 guys.

Dodge, side step to the left- two down.

Twisting to the right, he passed two more boys.

 _Crap!_ He didn't see any paths to avoid the up coming three. And then he saw one of them break fast to the left. _That's my chance!_ Darting through the gap the other boy had left, he cut directly to the right, avoiding five more guys.

Two more.

The last two seemed to be a bit slower then the others, so Sena had no problem avoiding them with a few simple cuts.

"Phew!" He panted. For some reason, he always seemed to be running today.

Suddenly, he felt a piercing shock travel throughout his body. Slowly raising his head, his eyes connected with another pair of dark stormy ones: the first boy he passed had stopped and was now staring intently at him.

Sena shivered, and did the first thing he could think of- he ran away.

* * *

Leaning against the rock wall of some unknown building, he groaned. Today was not a good day. He didn't know where he was supposed to go, what he was supposed to do, or when he was allowed to leave the damned place. And he had to constantly push his previous crowd-encounter out of his mind. The only time he could be in crowded places or amongst many other people was if he was running- if he was running fast enough so that he couldn't see, couldn't think, could react. As long as his own mind wasn't reacting to all the people around him, then everything was fine. But as soon as he stopped, all hell would break loose.

"Hey, Sen!"

Sena jumped. "Yes, Takami-san?" _Yes, didn't stutter this time…_

"So, how was the orientation?"

"Uh… it was great!"

"Really?" Takami looked genuinely surprised and happy. "So the speech was nice, and the keynote presentation worked?"

"Um, yeah!" He was lying through his teeth by now, trying to ignore the guilt that clawed at his heart.

"That's great. So… I'm assuming you'll be moving in next week?" Takami fell into step alongside him.

"Yeah…"

"Cool. The rooms are already posted, since Ojo middle school students are moving in today. You can go check that out if you want, just to meet your room mates. The charts are on the table over there."

"Alright, thank you Takami-san!" Sena bowed before hastily heading off. There was a large crowd around the tables, so Sena spent 10 minutes lingering casually around a building corner while waiting for people to go away. Finally, after the last student left, he crept towards the table and meekly searched for his name. Sakaki.. Sachiko…Sano… Seito… Ah, Sena.

"Shin Seijuro and Sakuraba Hayato," Sena read, feeling increasingly nervous. Oh no, roommates. Sena didn't want a roommate, nevermind two.

 _They're going to bully me. They're going to make me run for groceries. They're going to make me do their homework, cook their meals, and wash their clothes!_ He began to shiver and twitch, trying to push the fears out of his head. It wasn't working. He dropped to one knee and hugged his stomach, feeling his body begin to quiver and shake.

 _Not again_.

"Hey there, are you alright?" A firm yet gentle hand pushed upon his shoulder.

Sena let out a yelp and jumped backwards, falling over and tripping on his own feet, nearly collapsing upon the person behind him.

"Whoa, careful there."

A blonde boy helped him up. "Uh… I'm Sakuraba Hayato, nice to meet you, …?"

"…" Sena's mouth was still as dry as sand; the words just wouldn't come out over the rigid lump in his throat. Being stuck between Sakuraba and the table was driving his inner mind completely insane. Fighting off the feelings of terror, Sena maneuvered around so he was in an open space in the courtyard, and immediately breathed out a sigh of relief. "S-sena, I'm Sena."

The other boy awkwardly rubbed his neck. "Um… I've never met you before, are you new this year? From another middle school?"

Sena nodded silently.

Sakuraba laughed heartily. "I'm sorry about the mess at the orientation. You were probably sitting there for hours, right? I'm so so sorry, it's just that some of my fans were chasing me around and by the time I got there, everyone was gone."

Sena just smiled shakily, once again feeling guilty while accepting the other boy's heartfelt apology when he actually didn't stay there for very long. Well, an hour was _sort_ of long…?

"So, are you looking for your room?" Sakuraba asked.

And that moment, Sena realized that this blonde haired boy was his roommate. "Um… I think… Uh… We're roommates," he mumbled softly, feeling his face flush. How did one simply tell another that they were roommates without sounding awkward?

To his surprise, Sakuraba's face lit up in happiness. "Really? That's so cool! Come on, I'll show you to our room!"

And Sena really couldn't help the silly, goofy, yet slightly apprehensive grin that made its way onto his face. Maybe being roommates with someone this nice wouldn't be so bad.

On their way, Sakuraba chattered brightly about the school, its systems, and how school life was. Once they reached their room, Sena couldn't help but feel somewhat affected by Sakuraba's contagious optimism, and he too for the first time in awhile felt almost half _comfortable_ around another person.

Until… "Our other roommate is my friend from middle school, Shin Seijuro! He's like the most awesome person ever. He's athletic, and he can bench press more than a hundred and thirty kilos!"

Sena almost tripped over his feet and had to be caught by Sakuraba at this. Oh no. Another athletic person. And he sounded muscular, too. Athletic people always picked on him- made fun of him for his scrawny legs, his stick-like arms, and his weak body. If Sakuraba was friends with this guy, they would probably both end up ganging up on him, or bullying him to do things for them.

They would make fun of him for being agoraphobic. Especially if he had a shaking fit in front of him- they might ask him if he took pleasure in pretending to be terrified. They would probably also ask him if he was just constantly cold. Everything would be the same- the same as elementary, the same as middle school, the same as-

"Hey, are you alright?" Sakuraba's voice pulled him out of his worries.

Sena mentally pressed pause in the crumbling process of the world around him. "Uh yeah, fine. Thanks. Um… so.. is this…"

"Yeah, this is the room. Both Shin and I kinda moved our stuff in already, but if you have a problem with sleeping arrangements or something we can always change! I hope you're not scared of heights?"

"N-no," Sena stammered, heart hammering. He was scared of many things, but heights were nothing new to him. In fact, he actually liked heights. When you were high up, you were isolated and alone, which complimented the fact that Sena was deathly scared of too many people- Wait, were they planning to hang him upside down?

"Oh phew, thank god. Neither Shin nor I wanted a top bunk, so we both chose the bottom ones… I hope you don't mind!"

"I-it's fine," Sena mumbled, making sure to let Sakuraba enter the room first so that when he himself entered, he could choose not to close the door behind him. It had taken him a full two years to get used to having his own bedroom door closed at home, and during the day he still had to have the windows open. Sena wasn't sure if being slightly claustrophobic was part of being slightly agoraphobic, but sometimes he wished that they weren't one and the same to him.

The room was… clean cut. And that was weird. Because in Sena's house, everything was warm and cluttered and messy, since neither of his parents were that big on doing housework (they had hired a nanny at one point, but that was before he developed agoraphobia, and after he had it, he just couldn't stand to have her around).

"So… do you like it?" Sakuraba asked, looking hopeful, not unlike a big puppy dog in Sena's opinion.

"Yeah…" he mumbled. He did another quick survey of his environment. Two bunk beds, two desks inbetween them, and, on the other side of the room, two large closets that could be hidden with their sliding wooden doors. It was quite different from the overall feel of the school- a bit less grim and gloomy, Sena would say. "Yeah. It's… fine," he repeated, nodding his head rigorously.

Sakuraba smiled. "Ok, well you can pick any one of the top bunks to sleep in."

Sena nodded and slowly pointed towards the one on the right. "I guess I'll take that one."

"Great! The bed below you is Shin's, and my bed is that one." Sakuraba pointed to the right.

 _Oh no. Why couldn't he sleep above Sakuraba? But it'll look weird if I ask to change now, right?_ Sena reasoned with himself, trying to hide the fact that he was immensely displeased at having to sleep above a stranger he didn't know. Who also happened to sound like another one of those bullies.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Huh?" Sena's head jerked up.

"You keep shivering and looking around the room like something's going to jump out and scare you. Is something wrong?" Sakuraba looked at him, brown eyes clouded with worry. He stepped closer, and Sena instinctively stepped back.

He felt his spine hit something hard. He was… trapped? Sakuraba reached out to grab his arm, and it all started.

Sena felt his entire body turn to ice, melt into a puddle, and freeze up again. Suddenly, the room temperature was just all wrong, and so was the lighting. It was too bright, and then too dark, and then he couldn't even tell the difference between the two. Weird things were happening with the pressure- he couldn't breath, he swore he felt his ears strain as if they were going to pop, and his eyes felt hot like they were going to either burst out of their sockets, or just start dripping with tears. He instinctively reached out and grabbed the bed post, trying to steady himself and stabilize his vision. Or at least get it together enough to give Sakuraba a legitimate reply.

But even that thought was fading quickly. The room temperature dropped a whooping 30 degrees in Sena's mind, and his fingers began twitching.

 _No. No. No. Please. Not now._

His stomach was doing somersaults, making him want to throw up even though he hadn't even eaten any breakfast. His legs were trembling with the effort of keeping him upright on his feet.

 _Please, not now…_

This was one of the worst attacks he had had in awhile- in fact, if this was at home, he might have been curled into a ball under his covers by now. Unable to take it any longer, he dropped to his knees.

Somehow, he was vaguely aware of Sakuraba's voice faintly calling to him, as if trying to pull him back to reality. His limbs felt sluggish, and the world spun around him. His skin pricked as if a thousand beetles were climbing and crawling over him. Sena squeezed his eyes shut.

He wasn't sure how long he'd stayed there- crouched on the ground at the corner of the bed. It couldn't have been that long, since he could still remember Sakuraba's voice calling out to him, asking if he was alright. And the more he thought about it, the worse everything got. He couldn't see anything with his eyes closed, but these panic attacks weren't about seeing- they were about feeling.

And the walls of the room felt like they were closing in on him, his palms felt clammy with cold sweat, everything was crumbling into a void of darkness.

And suddenly, warm hands were rubbing his shoulder, and he was being lifted up. His skin was so numb, he could barely feel the hands soothingly stroking his back and his hair. At first, he tensed up, wondering if any blows or jarring words were going to come. Not that he would be able to react to any of them, considering the chaos his bodily systems were in at the moment.

He felt himself getting laid down on a firm surface.

 _A mattress?_

He curled tighter into a ball, and cringed as he felt the hands jump to his hair instead. He squirmed a bit, but stopped after he realized the hands weren't really _doing_ anything. They were just there. After nothing happened for awhile, he slowly pried one eye open and squinted, grimacing at the brightness.

"…Hey, Sena?" Sakuraba's face came into view.

Sena curled even tighter, waiting for Sakuraba to ridicule him about what had just happened.

"I'm really sorry for prying into your business, I didn't know that you felt so uncomfortable around me. I won't do it again, I promise. I didn't mean it."

 _Is he… apologizing?_ Sena wondered. He peeked open his other eye. Sakuraba was leaning in, but keeping a fair, comfortable distance, his chocolate eyes wide with sorrow. "I really didn't mean to cause you any discomfort, and I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore."

Sena just shook his head, not trusting himself to speak yet. He wanted to tell Sakuraba that it was alright- that he shouldn't feel guilty because this was normal for Sena- but the words wouldn't come out. So he just kept shaking his head and nodding, not sure which one was the positive gesture in this situation. And then he realized something. Sakuraba's hands were clenching the bed post as he apologized. But there was a warmth on his back and neck.

Sakuraba didn't have four hands.

At his moment of realization, Sena jumped and squirmed and thrashed, wondering whose hands were on him.

"Whoa, relax, relax!" Sakuraba called, looking alarmed by his sudden fit.

Sena reached an arm behind him to bat off the hand.

"It's just Shin! Calm down! It's Shin!" Sakuraba called.

Sena stopped. _Shin?_

"Um, sorry for not asking you, but you weren't really responding, so…" Sakuraba awkwardly rubbed his neck again. "Do you want to sit up, so I can introduce him to you?"

Slowly, Sena felt the hands release him, and he sat up, still with his knees pressed tightly to his chest.

Sakuraba smiled, and tugged another boy into view. "Sena- it's ok if I call you that right?" He interrupted himself, looking concerned.

Sena nodded.

Sakuraba relaxed and continued. "This is my friend Shin Seijuro. He's our roommate. Shin, this is um… Sena."

"Kobayakawa," Sena mumbled softly.

"Right. This is Kobayakawa Sena. Our third roommate. He's new this year."

Sena was too scared to look up. Just based on presence alone, he could feel that this guy was powerful and strong and overall quite terrifying.

"I'm sorry for letting Shin know about this.. um.. thing! It's just that you weren't responding to me and I was really really worried, so I panicked, and ran to get Shin," Sakuraba explained hastily. "Erm… is… i-is that alright?"

Sena slowly nodded, and steeled his nerves enough to sneak a peak. And with that, he almost blanched. It was the guy from earlier. The guy who stared at him after he ran past. The guy with the piercing stormy eyes. The hair-raising, bone-chilling, blood-curdling boy that had managed to make Sena run away in the opposite direction without even having to say anything.

To say he was petrified was a bit of an understatement.

"H-h-h-h-" Sena made a sort of weird choking noise from the base of his throat.

Sakuraba laughed a bit. "I know Shin looks scary, but he's not bad."

"Scary?" Shin questioned, tilting his head to the left mechanically. "Thank you."

Sakuraba sweat dropped. "It's not supposed to be a compliment…"

Shin blinked.

Sena blinked.

Sakuraba blinked.

And then Sakuraba burst out laughing, which Sena followed with a soft quivering chuckle.

Shin just stared at both of them before cocking his head again to the side and asking what was funny.

Which, of course, made Sakuraba roar with laughter as Sena giggled a bit harder.

And Shin just became more and more confused.

* * *

"So… you're not going to ask?" Sena mumbled as he kicked his legs up and down as they dangled off the edge of the bed. Sakuraba and Shin were both unpacking, so Sena had stayed to watch. Not to mention the fact that Sakuraba insited Sena keep them both company.

Sakuraba rubbed furiously at his neck, trying to think of something to say.

Surprisingly, Shin was the one who responded. "I will wait until you feel comfortable enough to speak on the topic. Until then, we will accommodate you to the best of our ability."

Both Sena and Sakuraba stared at him awkwardly.

"…Shin, that was surprisingly deep," Sakuraba grinned.

"…" Sena was silent. And suddenly, "…Thank you."

Sakuraba smiled, Shin kept his normal stern face, and neither of them commented on Sena's remark.

Sena breathed a slow sigh of relief, trying to calm down the pricking in his skin. At least they had left the door open.

* * *

Sakuraba insisted that he and Shin accompany Sena, their new roommate (and supposed friend) out of the school, off campus.

Sena noticed how they both were considerate enough to give him a comfortable radius of personal space, staying just close enough to converse quietly with him. Although, he suspected that Shin, being the seemingly clueless person he was, probably had to be reminded and explained to by Sakuraba.

The two Ojo students waved farewell to him as they walked through the gate.

He wasn't perfectly comfortable with them yet. And maybe it would take awhile for him to ever be comfortable. But he was making progress, and that was important, even if it was by tiny steps at a time.

As Sena awkwardly lifted his arm and waved jerkily back, he felt a bit lighter then he ever had in a long while.

He was finally getting somewhere.

And then he pulled his phone out of his pants pocket, deciding to call his parents (he was feeling better, but he wasn't sure he would be able to make it home alone without sprinting fast enough so that he couldn't think about or see anything.

Flipping it open, he blanched.

17 missed calls from Mom.

12 missed calls from Dad.

39 missed calls from Mamori nee-san.

Oh dear.

* * *

 **A/N: One chapter down! This is quite long, more than 6k words. I feel somewhat proud of myself. So for those of you who didn't read the previous author note, this is a fanfiction where Ojo is a boarding school. I'm not sure if it's actually a boarding school in the manga/anime (I don't recall it being one), so yeah.**

 **This story is going to focus a lot on character development because individual/personal character progression is, in my opinion, one of my weak points when writing.**

 **Anyways, R &R (if you want), let me know what you guys think!**

 **Yes, this will be Shin x Sena, in case you didn't read the summary** _ **or**_ **the previous author note.**

 **Apologies to people who ship other pairings… I understand your feelings =_=**

 **Ja ne,**

 **~Vieux**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I've had this chapter drafted out for awhile, but never got the chance to post it. Now that exams are over, I should be back to a semi-regular update schedule on all my fics. Also, this chapter is late because ffn (this website) wouldn't let me upload my files unless I re-saved them into compatibility mode. It's fixed now though, and i can upload again yay~**

Previously:

 _17 missed calls from Mom._

 _12 missed calls from Dad._

 _39 missed calls from Mamori nee-san._

 _Oh dear._

/

His life went back to normal shockingly fast. And Sena wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad about that. Of course, after the orientation day he had to bow in sincere apology to both his parents and to Mamori because apparently they were all "worried sick" about him. Although, he personally didn't particularly like the whole "I was worried sick" concept; it really was slightly… odd to say that when a real, live sick person was standing there in flesh. Maybe he was just too sensitive.

A shiver ran down his spine as a haunting trace of past words echoed in his head.

 _Don't be too sensitive, dear child. You cannot dream of conquering the world if this is all it takes to knock you over._

His schedule fell back into its usual sort of summer routine:

Monday, he stayed in bed and slept.

Tuesday, he went over to Mamori's house and they read some manga.

Wednesday, he slept again, although in his defense he did go out into the neighborhood for a few minutes before getting scared and going back inside.

At that point, Sena finally registered the existence of a nagging feeling present in his body; it went from the tip of his sternum right down to the edge of his large intestine. And he couldn't place it. It certainly wasn't anger, or sadness. Thursday he stayed in bed and watched movies.

Friday, he slept again.

By Saturday, Sena realized what he had been feeling throughout the week- disappointment. He had finally been _getting_ somewhere after meeting Sakuraba, Takami, and… well, maybe Shin too, he supposed. It was just really so frustrating because technically the doctor said he should be better by now. He'd done all his treatments, never missed an appointment, and never forgot to take any of his pills.

And somehow, he was still stuck being scared.

 _But sweetheart, you need to_ _ **do**_ _something to get over it, mhm?_ He hastily shook his head to get rid of the irritating, sugary voice.

Sena idly began shifting through his lists of things he needed to bring to Ojo. He'd tried to start packing on Wednesday, but somehow his limbs were heavy and he wasn't able to motivate himself to move. So he'd just left it. He wasn't even sure if he would _belong_ in Ojo. And then, of course, there was the question of whether it was even worth it in the first place…

A knock on his door sounded, and Sena jumped guiltily out of bed, stumbling into his slippers before recklessly tossing open the door. "Y-yes?"

His mother blinked at him in surprise, clutching a dirty wooden spoon from her evident previous baking excursions. "Well, I was just wondering if you were finished packing. Is something the matter?"

"Not at all," Sena laughed shakily, scratching behind his ear. "I was just… startled, that's all."

His mother smiled. "Well, it'll be time to go soon, they're having a freshman orientation tonight after you move in. It will definitely be a good chance for you to get to know other people!"

Sena blinked. "Freshman… orientation? We already had that."

"Oh no, not orientation. What was it called again… some sort of party? Perhaps a welcoming festival, or something along the lines of that?" His mother murmured, thinking to herself out loud. "Anyways, I know you're worried about… well, being around people, but you've been able to go to school fine without Mamori now, and it's a good change of pace!" She declared.

Sena just kept blinking, wondering what had made his mother change her mind within a week. Well, there didn't seem to be aby way to get out of it. "…Alright. I'll go, but-"

"Excellent! I was going to send Mamori with you, but it seems she has a Deimon discipline committee meeting for a few hours. Looks like I'll be going with you," She sang joyfully, waving the spoon around dramatically.

A few chunks of batter went flying, and Sena ducked to avoid one that almost caught in his hair. Almost. When he came back up, he fixated his eyes on a small clump of the uncooked cookie dough that had stuck on the edge of his white door frame, and sighed before responding. "I think… " Did he really need her there?

The answer was, yes, he really did. It sounded lame, and weird for a highschooler, but based on the sheer size of Ojo, he was expecting quite a few students- Sena just was _not_ good at dealing with lots of people.

"I think that would be nice. Yes, that would be quite nice," he repeated slowly, fingers clenching against the wood of his door. "I think that would be very nice, thanks."

His mother's eyes softened. "Of course. I do wish your father could attend as well, but he's working over time again."

Sena nodded. "That's understandable."

His mother nodded as well in reply. There was a gentle pause, before she reached out and patted him on the head softly. "I know you're worried about going to Ojo. And I know that maybe your father and I have pressured you into it a bit more than we would have liked to. But…" She trialed off, searching awkwardly for words to say.

Sena quickly cut her off before their little heart-to-heart could grow any more uncomfortable. "Mhm. I know what you mean. It'll be a good boarding experience and all. I'll get to meet new people. I'm just sort of worried about the academic load, and how hard the classes will be," he mumbled.

"Not just that." She hesitated. "…I know that… well, I know that your worried about your agoraphobia."

Sena froze. His agoraphobic tendencies had become a sort of taboo topic in the household, and he was surprised his mother was mentioning it at this time.

"I know that you can't just make it _go away_ and that you might have to deal with it your entire life. I _know_. And your father does too, in his own twisted way. I can't say we perfectly understand, but we're really really _trying_. So just please… accommodate our shortcomings?" She finished quietly, clearly on the verge of tears.

Sena cleared his throat and nodded, unable to find the proper words to say. Not that he would have been able to say them, given the lump stuck in his throat. "Yeah," he croaked.

"Yeah," His mother repeated, smiling slightly. "Yeah."

"Yeah." Sena's lips curved into a slight smile and he laughed. "Yeah." And then they were both laughing like idiots for no apparent reason, then grimacing at the batter dripping down his mother's spoon. "I think you might want to clean that up…"

"Of course honey. Let me know if you need anything while packing. Mamori left a checklist with me the other day, I'll bring it up for you after you're done so you can see if you're missing anything!" She sang as she danced out the door and waltzed down the stairs.

Sena grinned and nodded, head bobbing. His mother would normally have insisted to check it herself, but now she was letting him do it by himself. He collapsed backwards onto his bed and sighed happily. Independence was a form of liberation in itself.

/

"Ow!" Sena muttered as he tripped over a sharp rock buried in the pavement. He was right about to round the corner and enter the Ojo school gates, but looking down, he realized that his left shoe was untied. "Hm, better fix that…" His fingers leisurely tugged the clean white laces into place, pulling to make sure they were tight. "That'll just about do it," he murmured softly, preparing to stand up. However, one of the pencils in his pocket dropped and began to roll away. Sena reached out for it, balancing himself as he was crouching by placing his weight onto his right palm, which was pressed against the rough asphalt. Suddenly, a sharp pain slid through his fingergs when someone stepped hard on his hand, intensifying due to the fact that his fingers were splayed out. Sena winced.

"Oho, did I step on you? I'm so sorry," a rowdy, gravelly voice bellowed loudly.

"E-e-ehhe, that's fine," Sena mumbled, turning to put on a cheerful smile. However, once he saw the boy's well-built torso and muscular arms, his smile slid of his face faster than ice cream melting in the summer. He squeaked in terror.

The boy laughed again and roughly half-scooped, half-tugged Sena to his feet before patting him a few times hard on the back. Sena found his insides practically bursting out after each hit. "Anyways, you look new, have fun." He was dropped back down, and landed in a crumbled heap because his legs collapsed under his own body weight. Which, when thought about, really wasn't surprising; jell-O didn't hold anything up anyways.

 _Man, he's scary. I forgot how terrifying schools can be…_

"Hey, Sena!" Another much nicer voice called out behind him. Jumping in fright, Sena forced himself to turn around, feeling his arms and legs shaking. Oh, it was just Sakuraba. Sena smiled in relief. "H-Hi Sakuraba! And you too, Shin," Sena added, noticing the other boy. "Why are you two here? I thought students from Ojo Middle School didn't have to attend yet."

The blonde grinned as he approached where Sena was standing, Shin not too far behind him. "So nice to see you! Sports practice starts today, even before the first day back, so that's why we're here. But we have some time before we need to sign in, want some help with your stuff?" He offered, nodding towards Sena's large suitcase that was being lugged awkwardly across the ground.

"H-huh? Stuff… oh, you mean this suitcase!" Sena chuckled nervously. "No no, I'm fine, thank you so much for your offer-"

"Nonsense, we can help you, right Shin?" Sakuraba turned to his companion who had just walked up behind him.

"If he says he can handle it, I'm sure he will be fine." Shin's responses were as robotic as ever, Sena thought to himself.

"E-eh, Shin, that's kind of rude, don't you think?" Sakuraba stammered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Oh no no, it's totally fine. I appreciate your kindness, but I really can carry this thing on my own. Don't worry about it," Sena intervened hastily, cheerfully continuing after Shin.

/

"Are you sure this is all your stuff?"

By now, Sena had learned that Sakuraba was either an extreme worry-wart, or a true kindred spirit with the purest of all kind-hearted souls. "Of course, it's perfectly alright, Sakuraba-san. You and Shin-san should get going to your… um… football practice."

"Really?" Sakuraba looked doubtful.

"He'll be fine," Shin said gruffly, placing a hand on Sakuraba's shoulder. "We, however, will not be if we are late to practice."

Sena and Sakuraba both blinked in surprise. "Well, if you two both say so," Sakuraba sighed. Then he brightened. "If you're done getting set up, why don't you come watch us practice?"

"He-Heh?" Sena exclaimed in shock. "I can't play any sports-"

"That's totally fine, just come watch and support us!" Sakuraba nudged Shin in the side. "Come on Shin, encourage him."

"You may come to watch if you wish to, Kobayakawa-san." Sakuraba winced. "That didn't sound very welcoming," he hissed. Shin blinked.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm supposed to meet with the principal to discuss my class schedule and.. uh.. you know," Sena mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. He didn't know how to talk about his phobia in front of other people because not only could he make other people feel uncomfortable, he himself might feel uncomfortable.

"Ok, that's fine. There's always afternoon practice. Pre-season starts today, right Shin?"

Shin just nodded again, looking impatient to get to practice.

/

His morning classes were alright. Math was the only difficult one, but that also probably had to do with the fact that the English teacher was ill, so they had had a sub.

Then, the period he had been dreading most came up: lunch.

"Sena, sit with us," a voice called. Turning, he saw Sakuraba and Shin holding trays of food and gesturing for him. Then, Shin said something, and Sakuraba looked surprised, before nodding. "Nevermind," he yelled. "We're going to go discuss strategy with the coach. You can find us in H205 if you need anything!"

Sena breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by Shin.

He wasn't feeling to hungry, so he was planning to just have a few snacks (packed courtesy of his mother) in the dorm room. However, on his way there, he ran into three guys who radiated delinquency.

"Hey kid, you have any money?"

"No!" Sena squeaked out, backing away, only to hit one of the other guys. He was surrounded. Sena couldn't help the fear that clawed at his chest, threatening to swallow him whole if he couldn't keep it down.

 _Steady. Steady. Breath. If you show any signs of weakness, they'll dive right in like ravens after a carcass._

"Oh really? So hand us the lunch money then."

"W-wait, I don't have anything-"

"Yeah right, they all say that. I don't believe those words for a minute. Turn out your pockets."

Sena did as they asked, and a few 10 yen coins fell out.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" The second guy laughed and nudged the first guy. "Think he has anything in his backpack?"

"I don't know, maybe we should check!" The third guy smirked.

And then, words echoed in Sena's mind.

 _Speed is our weapon, Sena. Use it wisely. Don't let them pick on you anymore! You have to be dependable; you have to eventually grow up and protect Mamori so she doesn't baby you anymore! You have to become_ _ **strong**_ _._

Narrowing his eyes in determination, he waited for the guy to claw at his book bag before he bolted, springing off of his left foot and beginning the real dash with his right. As he rounded the corner, he darted through the crowd left and right without thinking. Shooting across the grounds, he breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the dorm buildings and didn't see anyone following him.

/

As Takami walked out to lunch from his last class, where he had stayed behind to explain a few biology concepts to a new third year, he saw a figure dart out from the shadows of the first Ojo building. He squinted. Was that someone running?

And then his jaw dropped. Even with his glasses, he couldn't see too clearly in the bright sunlight, but that was definitely a figure running; and they were accelerating rapidly as well!

But before he could catch up or even react, the figure melted back into the shadows of the dormitories. Looking up, Takami adjusted his glasses. "Ojo's first years' boys' dormitories, huh…"

His eyes glinted. This was their key to defeating Shinryuji. In fact, this was the only way.

Shin played his best on defense, but they would still need a solid running back for the offense. Their run game was ridiculously weak at the moment, and even if Shin played both offense and defense, they would still only have one solid choice for a run- not to mention, Shin would likely tire himself out, even if he refused to admit it. However, if this other person joined as well, Takami realized that he would be able to open up a whole new world of different play combinations that would suddenly become possible.

Time to pay the coach a visit.

/

"So you're watching pre-season, right?" Sakuraba grinned.

"Y-yeah," Sena blinked shyly, looking down at his feet. "If that's ok with the coach…"

"The coach will be ok," Shin responded.

"Great! Takami's probably waiting for us down by the oak tree, so let's go!" Sakuraba cheered, grabbing both Sena and Shin before proceeding to drag them out the door.

Wait, Takami? It couldn't be _that_ Takami, could it? Sena wondered. No, probably not. He couldn't see someone like the Takami he knew playing football of all sports. Maybe golf, or tennis, but definitely not football. Football was for buff, violent people.

Then Sena looked up at Sakuraba. Ok, so maybe Sakuraba wasn't buff or violent, but still. Football fit him in a sort of weird way. The only one who he could truly imagine playing football was Shin, but Shin wasn't violent at all so now he was just confused.

/

Sena decided that sitting up high in the bleachers was his best bet. People tended to prefer closer seats, so he'd probably be alone.

"Alright everyone. Today is not our day for try outs, but we will be taking note of your performance in order to draft the strongest Ojo team possible!" Someone called as they exited the locker room. Looking around, Sena didn't see Takami anywhere. They were probably talking about two differen Takamis then… And then, looking further across the field, Sena nearly fell off his seat. It was the big boy who had stomped mercilessly on his hand earlier in the morning. He grimaced and looked down. At least his hand wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Everyone, gather around! I'm sure you are all out of shape from the break so we will start practice with twenty laps around the football field! Go!"

Sena's eyes widened. _Twenty_? He wasn't even sure if he could do ten.

Then, all the players lined up and they split into two teams. Sena noticed that the coach, a scary man despite his old age, did a good job of having equal amounts of first and second string players on each team. The whistle blew, and Sena jumped in fright as all of the front players collided against each other, grunting and roaring.

This sport was almost definitely not for him… he could imagine his own bones being crushed.

He wondered what Mamori would say if she was here. Would she be proud of him at least making an effort to expand outside of his tiny shell?

Suddenly, his attention was drawn back to reality by a huge crash. He barely managed to catch himself as the entire bleacher section shook and wobbled before stabilizing. On the first row, a group of people were gathered around… Shin?

"What a day for Wakana to be sick," Sena heard someone say. "Who's going to go grab the aid supplies?"

Sakuraba looked up. "Hey Sena, can you go to the infirmary and grab some supplies?"

Sena jumped again, feeling slightly confused. Maybe if he didn't do it, someone else would?

 _No, this is my chance to be useful_ , he thought to himself. He quickly stood up. "W-which supplies?"

The coach looked up. "We're out of gauze, antiseptic, and large bandages. Whoever you are, please hurry."

"Yes sir!" Sena stammered as he stumbled down the bleachers. Sakuraba leaned over and whispered something to the coach, and the coach waved everyone else back to practice. Sena suspected Sakuraba knew about how he would face difficulties keeping his calm if he had to pass through a crowd like that. As the group around Shin dispersed, Sena saw that he was holding a hand to his face, and that there was blood dripping down?

"He cut his face on the edge of the bleachers after he was rammed into by Otawara," Sakuraba explained, catching Sena's curiosity. Sena's eyes widened. It must have hurt a lot.

"I-I should hurry," He realized out loud.

"Yeah, but don't run till your off the field. The grounds are a bit wet from the sprinkler system, and the slippery terrain is why this whole fiasco happened in the first place. Wait until your back on concrete," the coach called without turning around; Sena noticed that he was intensely focused on the game in front of him.

He nodded, before realizing that the coach couldn't see him, and quickly made a sound of affirmation.

/

"This was a terrible idea," Sena groaned, panting. He had run around the school everywhere trying to find the nurse's office, but every time he thought he had found it, a student would tell him he was going the wrong way.

"U-u-um, e-excuse me, would you happen to know where the nurse's office is?" He stuttered, tapping a girl on the shoulder gently. She turned around. "You're in the wrong building. I would take you there, but I have a club meeting to get to myself. Just go down the stairs to the second floor and cross one of the sky bridges. After you get into the other building, head to the third floor, take a right, and you should see a sign."

"T-Thank you!" Sena yelled, flinching at how loud his own voice was. "S-sorry!"

The girl just giggled slightly before walking off.

 _Mamori nee-chan would be so proud of me, I asked a person for directions by myself!_

Suddenly, he felt an eerie presence from behind him. Turning around, he saw the same three guys who had ambushed him at lunch!

"Hey hey hey, what do we have here?" One of them stalked up in front of him as the other two followed close behind. "Are you _lost_? Maybe we could help you!"

Sena definitely didn't trust the look in that boy's eyes, so he did the first thing that came to mind; he ran.

Sharply skidding around the corner, he realized that he could lose them on the third floor corridor because of how near the nurse's office was. Darting across the hallway bridging the two buildings, he jumped over a stack of chairs and took the stairs three at a time. When he finally reached the third floor, he saw the first aid symbol on one of the room signs and made a beeline for it. He burst into the room and slammed the door shut behind him, panting. He stood on his tippy-toes and peeked through the clear window cut into the door, checking to see if they were following.

Suddenly, the door yanked open and he almost fell backwards, barely managing to catch himself at the last second, using a resting chair to steady himself. The three boys stood, grinning at him.

Until, from behind him, a voice said, "Do you three need anything?"

The boys froze in fear and quickly shook their heads. "No, wrong room, that's all." The three of them quickly retreated.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nurse," Sena said as he turned around but- "W-wait, Shin-san? S-s-sorry! I didn't mean to call you the nurse, I th-thought you were her because you were here and normally she's here but I know now that you are not her- I mean, she, no, I mean, her, you are her, no no, you are not she-"

"It's alright," Shin responded mechanically, cutting him off. "The coach decided it would be more efficient if I came up here myself. It seems that Sakuraba forgot to mention that you were a new student. Also, the nurse had to leave because there was a concussion during a fight between the Kendo and Sumo clubs." Sena breathed an inward sigh of relief that someone had stopped his rambling. And then he became distinctly aware of the fact that the door was closed.

He tried to push away the crawling feeling under his skin and repeatedly told himself that _no,_ the walls were definitely not closing in on him.

And then, he saw Shin move away from him and open the two large windows, letting in the fresh outside breeze.

"T-Thank you," Sena mumbled shyly.

Shin tilted his head. "I merely opened the window because it was warm. Continuously staying in an over-heated area is detrimental to my training results."

"A-ah," Sena laughed nervously, unsure if Shin genuinely was telling the truth, or if he was just trying to make things less awkward. Then he saw the state of Shin's face. "Th-that's not how you cover the wound, Shin-san!"

Shin blinked and reached up to touch his cheek. "Is it not?" The plaster he had poorly applied shifted, and as he tried to adjust it back into place, it ripped entirely.

Sena shuffled over awkwardly. "D-do you need help with that?"

Shin looked up. "Do I?"

Sena hoped he didn't look as confused as he felt. "Um… I don't know, do you?"

Shin shrugged. "I have never studied the art of applying aid or healing wounds. Thus, I cannot deduce my progress or my results on an accurate scale."

Sena chuckled nervously. "Um, let me try. Y-you might need to sit down here first," he murmured, feeling slightly self-concious about how short he was. However, Shin sat on the chair obediently, and Sena sat on the edge of one of the resting beds. From the drawer in the desk next to him, he pulled out the proper stack of bandages (the plaster that Shin had taken was far too small). "C-can you.. bend down a bit?" he asked awkwardly.

Shin did so, and he slowly leaned over to apply the large rectangle over the injury. However, he stopped after he saw the gash. "You didn't clean the wound?" He exclaimed in surprise. "The bleeding hasn't even stopped yet!" Hastily, he pulled out a few more supplies, some gauze, and a cup, which he filled with water at the sink. He dipped a damp towel into the water and slowly brushed it over Shin's face, not wanting to hurt the other boy.

"What are you doing?" Shin sounded puzzled.

"I'm cleaning the cut. If you don't clean it, you could get an infection. Um.. tell me if it hurts or anything, ok?" He asked.

Shin nodded.

"Hey, don't move!" Sena quickly finished the cleaning and gave the gauze to Shin. "You should use this to stop the bleeding. Apply pressure to your face- gentle pressure!" He amended hastily, knowing that Shin might misinterpret it. "Just.. use less than half of your strength," Sena suggested, seeing Shin furrow his brows.

As they waited for the bleeding to stop, Sena closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. He normally couldn't stand being in a room with someone else and having the door closed, but Shin's suggestion (or idea) to open windows was working surprisingly well.

He was actually getting used to being in Shin's company.

At least, a little more so than usual.

/

"Sakuraba, heads up!" Someone yelled, and Sakuraba just managed to duck as a football went flying over his head.

"Sorry, didn't see you there."

"No problem," Sakuraba smiled. There was only half an hour left in practice, and he was taking a much-needed break after drilling in the bashing ring while trying to catch as many balls as possible.

Suddenly, he heard one of the second stringers call out: "Hey look, there's Takami-senpai!"

And sure enough, when they all turned, Takami was jogging towards them at a fair but slightly urgent pace.

"Where were you?" Sakuraba asked as Takami ran up to them.

"Sorry, I had a welcome committee meeting. We're planning a few more events so that the new students can get better adjusted to the Ojo environment. But you need to know something. Today, around lunch, I saw this guy…" Takami quickly recounted what he had seen.

"No way," Sakuraba stared, looking back and forth between Takami and the coach, who was still focused on improving their running backs. "On par with Shin's speed? No way. Shin's the fastest highschooler!"

Takami's fingers moved to his glasses. "Are you saying that no one can ever come close to Shin's speed?"

"Of course not," Sakuraba defended. "It's just unlikely, especially for someone not already on a sports team."

"How do you know he's not on a sports team?" Takami asked.

"Because all the sports teams had preliminary sign ups and mandatory meetings today, so he couldn't have been on one."

"Technically, the golf club and the yoga club didn't," Takami argued.

Sakuraba sighed. "Do you really want someone who's on the _yoga_ club on your team? Not that there's anything wrong with yoga, of course."

Takami frowned, still unconvinced.

"Fine, we can go visit both of those clubs after school tomorrow just to make sure that he's not in one of them, ok?"

Takami nodded, satisfied.

Tomorrow, then.

Tomorrow, they would try to find the identiy of this mystery runner.

* * *

A/N: 5.1k words guys xD Who's looking forward to the freshman orientation night where Sena gets to introduce Shin to his parents?

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Next update: June 22nd (Or earlier, if I manage to finish the ninth chapter for This Small Town)

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Keep in mind that Takami knows a weak boy called Sen, so he doesn't recognize him as the runner (also, he was like… really far away and stuff). Sakuraba knows a weak boy called Sena, and doesn't know that he's a good runner. In case the story context was unclear haha.

And also: the stuff said by the "voice" in Sena's head is a hint to how his agoraphobia developed Foreshadowing, eyyyy xD

 **Have a great week/day/night/month/whatever! ^_^ If I haven't responded to your review, or if you have any questions, or if you just want to chat, feel free to drop me a PM!**


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